Augustana students give back in Nicaragua through medical missions

2009 Jul 2

Rock Island, IL- Twenty-two aspiring doctors and nurses, one biology professor and an Augustana alumna spent two weeks in June providing medical care to people in six small Nicaragua towns. The service trip was organized through JETS (Joining Education Through Service), a student organization at Augustana.
Students saw patients in their free clinic, which they typically set up in a tent, church basement or covered pavilion. Each patient would explain his or her symptoms, through a translator, to a group of two or three Augustana students. The students would make a preliminary diagnosis and then consult with one of five Nicaraguan doctors who would make an official diagnosis. If needed, the patient would receive free medicine or health supplies from the makeshift pharmacy the students set up at the clinic.
Augustana biology professor Dr. Dara Wegman-Geedey, who accompanied the students on the trip, said the clinic gave students the opportunity to use their physiology, anatomy and immunology knowledge. "JETS students gain first hand experience working as healthcare providers and quickly learn what it means to use critical thinking skills to follow a line of questioning when evaluating patients."
For Jaynee Krippel, a junior biology and pre-med major at Augustana, the most meaningful part of the trip was making a home visit with one of the doctors. "We were bringing the people medical care they otherwise could not get," Krippel said. "The patients were eager to tell us about themselves and their lifestyles. Seeing where and how they lived helped me understand why the patients contracted certain diseases so frequently."
Wegman-Geedey and fellow biology professor Dr. Darrin Good established Augustana's Joining Education Through Service (JETS) program in 2008. Augustana students interested in health-related fields can apply to go to Nicaragua twice a year through the organization. Wegman-Geedey says these trips give students more than just experience as a doctor or nurse. "The JETS students realize how much we in the U.S. take for granted and begin to understand why a country such as the U.S. shouldn't just take over and make things 'better' for a third-world nation. Cultural identities must be preserved and cherished," she said.
Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America, but it is also one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. According to the United Nations 2007-08 human development report, 80% of the population lives on less than $2 a day and a large number of households are headed by woman. Quality medical aid is either unavailable or unaffordable to much of the population.
From your area, participating students included: